{"id":247656,"date":"2025-10-13T13:52:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T17:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=247656"},"modified":"2025-10-13T14:10:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T18:10:44","slug":"tennessee-titans-fire-head-coach-brian-callahan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/10\/13\/tennessee-titans-fire-head-coach-brian-callahan\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee Titans Fire Head Coach Brian Callahan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Tennessee Titans fired head coach Brian Callahan after a tumultuous 2024 season, leaving the franchise in need of a reset for 2025. Callahan <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/01\/07\/tennessee-titans-fire-general-manager-ran-carthon\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">outlasted former general manager<\/a> Ran Carthon but ultimately paid the price for his team&#8217;s failures. Callahan leaves Tennessee with a former first-overall selection in Cam Ward, but couldn&#8217;t elevate the rest of the team. As a result, owner Amy Adams Strunk embarks on another coaching search in her tenure.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_234764\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-234764\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-234764\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26144118-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Brian Callahan\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26144118-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26144118-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26144118-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26144118-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26144118-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26144118-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26144118-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-234764\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">May 10, 2025; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan talks with reporters just prior to the start of rookie training camp at Saint Thomas Sports Park, Tennessee. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"zxx\" dir=\"ltr\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/16m4cYIxrA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/16m4cYIxrA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tennessee Titans (@Titans) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Titans\/status\/1977794179955573055?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Tennessee Titans Fire Head Coach Brian Callahan<\/h2>\n<h4>The writing on the wall<\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Callahan&#8217;s future\u00a0<span style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">looked bleak in 2024, but the team brought him back to serve as a mentor to Ward,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/46009145\/cam-ward-tennessee-titans-no-1-pick-history-caleb-williams-bryce-young\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">despite misgivings from<\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/46009145\/cam-ward-tennessee-titans-no-1-pick-history-caleb-williams-bryce-young\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u00a0several people<\/a> in the front office. The casting of the die for Callahan&#8217;s future started in the middle of January 2025, when current GM Mike Borgonzi <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/01\/18\/how-former-afc-powerhouse-executive-can-save-the-titans\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">entered the fray<\/a>. Like most new general managers, Borgonzi likely wanted his own guy in charge, and now he gets his chance. The power structure in Nashville ultimately did not favor the departed coach, as former AGM Chad Brinker overtook Carthon as <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/06\/10\/tennessee-titans-front-office-taking-shape-under-new-gm\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">President of Football Operations<\/a> in 2025. While the 2025 offseason featured plenty of change within the organization, the coaching staff&#8217;s failings doomed the season before it truly began.<\/p>\n<h4>How did it get to this point?<\/h4>\n<p>The 2025 season began ominously for the dismissed coach when he could not grasp the basic fundamentals of a catch in week one. Callahan failed to challenge a potential <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TitansStats\/status\/1964856401949585663\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Elic Ayomanor<\/a> catch that ended a possible scoring drive<span style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">, and later\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PaulKuharskyNFL\/status\/1964848869084188926\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fumbled in his explanation<\/a> for it<\/span>. Coach Callahan is on a trend of curiously vacillating between <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jwyattsports\/status\/1964839800760090810\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reckless endangerment<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AustinHuff\/status\/1969831413760569392\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">extreme conservatism<\/a> before halftime every week. The weekly heinous and grotesque mismanagement of the &#8220;middle eight&#8221; cost this team valuable points. Scoring drives are few and far between for this struggling offense, so any blown opportunities are significant blows.<\/p>\n<h4>The beginning of the end<\/h4>\n<p>Through three weeks of the season, the organization had faltered to the second-worst in the league, with 31 penalties and 261 penalty yards. The numbers could have been even worse had opposing teams not possessed the mercy to decline eight flags. Callahan preached discipline throughout the offseason, but the message clearly hasn&#8217;t reached his players.<\/p>\n<p>Week four of the nightmarish 2025 season saw the nadir and most stark reminder to ownership that Callahan didn&#8217;t have the chops. The head coach attempted a quick fix by <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/09\/24\/titans-head-coach-makes-significant-change-to-coaching-staff\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">relinquishing play-calling duties<\/a>, but the offense met an even worse fate. Tennessee endured the worst loss of his tenure with a shutout by the winless Texans. The calls for his job increased dramatically<span style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">, with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JillJelnick\/status\/1972395717877801265\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">outlandish fervor,<\/a> by the<\/span>\u00a0minute as the game progressed. His combative demeanor during the Week 1 postgame press conference sparked <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CoachspeakIndex\/status\/1964940924519403988\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cognitive dissonance<\/a> between him and the media. The death knell began its tolling when he called an utterly contemptuous third-and-12 draw play while trailing. It embodies the passivity and poor game management shown by this grotesquely incompetent staff. Houston delivered a gut punch so decisively that staunch Callahan advocate and usually mellow Cam Ward bemoaned his team.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Titans?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Titans<\/a> QB Cam Ward is clearly frustrated with the lack of production on offense starting with himself. &quot;If we keep it a buck right now, we ass.&quot; <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ApQzABZBG2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/ApQzABZBG2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TDavenport_NFL\/status\/1972400100300509444?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 28, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The embattled coach even glibly remarked that he wasn&#8217;t concerned about his job security after the demoralizing loss, which was either a testament to his incredulous naivete or <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BuckReising\/status\/1972393601872343429\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">arrogance<\/a>. Well, he paid dearly for those and other smug remarks with his job in the end. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/geoffschwartz\/status\/1972385091314934223\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">External media personalities<\/a> without any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/brian-callahan-doomsday-clock-ticking\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">allegiances<\/a> have called for his ouster. Former players have also joined the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nwash85\/status\/1972429841816556011\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">growing chorus<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Brian Callahan said he isn\u2019t worried about his job status. Said they are doing everything to prepare. Not getting the results and none of it is enough right now.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Terry McCormick (@terrymc13) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/terrymc13\/status\/1972394165502915015?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 28, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Furthering the growing dissonance between the head coach and an <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/titansfilmroom\/status\/1977529244306592063\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">increasingly blistering media<\/a>, Callahan did not coach like he meant it while speaking before Week 6.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Titans?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Titans<\/a> will continue to use more tempo on offense and not just in two minute situation. Brian Callahan said he&#39;s noticed that&#39;s where Cam Ward excels and it has a way of creating rhythm on offense. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IXgounE9Tb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/IXgounE9Tb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TDavenport_NFL\/status\/1975971958731993365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 8, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>A Brief Reprieve<\/h4>\n<p>Tennessee received a brief glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel in Week 5&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/10\/06\/titans-escape-the-desert-with-a-win-like-a-mirage-in-week-5\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">wild and wacky victor<\/a>y over the Cardinals. Alas, it was a fleeting mirage as the miraculous mental breakdowns by Arizona couldn&#8217;t be replicated by the Raiders. However glorious the taste of victory was during those magical moments, consistency was not to be, as the woeful Vegas defense was all over Ward. Standout defensive Jeffery Simmons also commented that the practice sessions haven&#8217;t been up to par.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Jeff Simmons: this was probably our worst week of practice, to be honest <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rPDDdb7MwT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/rPDDdb7MwT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Buck Reising (@BuckReising) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BuckReising\/status\/1977519562129338711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A sentiment echoed by the rookie quarterback, which raises alarms throughout the building that the team isn&#8217;t receiving the message as one would hope.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Cam Ward on Jeff Simmons\u2019 assessment of a bad practice week: He ain\u2019t lyin. Came out flat and that\u2019s how we played.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Buck Reising (@BuckReising) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BuckReising\/status\/1977520917472551286?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>The End of An Era<\/h4>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Titans?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Titans<\/a> have 83 points this season, their fewest through 6 games since 1985 per ESPN research.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TDavenport_NFL\/status\/1977512896822493347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>What&#8217;s next?<\/h4>\n<p>The Tennessee Titans will begin their search for a new coach to lead their franchise under the existing power structure. Callahan will walk away with millions in buyout money for himself and his staff, along with a tattered, unsalvageable reputation. It will take many seasons for him to rehabilitate his image to the point where he is considered for head coaching again. The job vacancy should be attractive to potential candidates, given that a quarterback is in place and there is <a href=\"https:\/\/overthecap.com\/salary-cap-space\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">considerable cap space<\/a> to mold the team in their image. Who could be interested in coaching a Titans organization in flux?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Tennessee Titans have decided to fire former head coach Brian Callahan after less than two seasons at the helm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4788,"featured_media":236332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11,36,6431],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-titans","category-nfl-news","category-nfl-teams"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4788"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247656"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":250698,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247656\/revisions\/250698"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}